<p>NM, I’m sorry to hear that. Sabaray, yahoo for your D having a great time. </p>
<p>We just found out that over spring break S1 received a traffic violation for making an illegal left turn. He missed his intended turn and was trying to turn around. It was dark and he said he didn’t notice the no left turn sign. Had not had anything to drink, wasn’t speeding, no other issues. BUT, his job interview next month requested access to his driving record, which was pristine prior to this event. (Employees are given a company car.) We told him to alert the company to the violation immediately via email and we will just have to wait and see if this results in his interview being rescinded. On the one hand, I think it should be OK but on the other hand, so many great candidates are vying for so few spots that any little blemish may be enough to kick somebody out of the running. My biggest upset was that we did not find out right away, which pushes all of my buttons on honesty and trust and integrity. I said to H: little kids, little problems; big kids, big problems. </p>
<p>I am going to try to fit a little joy into every day. Today’s bliss was eating brie and drinking white wine while S2’s school advanced to the next round by winning their game in basketball.</p>
<p>TheAnalyst - I bet dollars to donuts that they’re looking for DUI’s - not an illegal turn. C’mon, chin up, it’s not that big of a problem.
BTW Was the violation out of state? Will they even pick it up?</p>
<p>The company had him sign a release to get a copy of his driving record. The company is HQ in Paris and the interview is being held in California. Not sure it would matter where the offense occurred, but I had him send an email to the person who he had the initial interview with telling them the info so they have it now regardless. His approach was going to be to just wait and see if they caught it because the police officer said if he came in on May 2 the charges would be dropped as it was a first offense with no other problem. I just don’t think that is morally the right thing to do. I want to be able to trust my employees to tell me about anything they think I might care about and this company clearly cares about the driving record. They asked about it in the initial interview and then were taking the time to check the official record. I guess I was most upset that his initial instinct was to wait and see if he was “caught.” I thought we had raised him better than that.</p>
<p>I would almost guarantee that it would not yet show up especially if there is the chance they will drop it entirely from his record. But I know what you mean about not wanting him to wait to get caught. But I agree they’re looking for wreckless driving (which is usually what DUI’s get reduced to if you have a good attorney) or the actual DUI.</p>
<p>Also rooting for the Big Red in the sweet 16!! Pretty exciting stuff.</p>
<p>I have no idea where son is. He is supposed to be heading to his grandparents but I thought it was today but H says tomorrow and S didn’t respond to my text. Bugs me.</p>
<p>Sent Son back to school at 5 pm, form from the psychiatrist in hand. He’s going to drop 2 classes, so that he’s left with just two English classes, choir and gym. He doesn’t want to return to the school next year and I don’t want him to. He said he feels very uncomfortable not knowing where he’ll be next semester. I told him to just think about our community college for one or two semesters. He feels better with a plan. I have no idea what the plan for a four year degree will be but he has to get his GPA up for anyone else to take him anyway. So during D’s senior year, when all the focur should be on her applications and visits, we’ll be trying to figure out what to do with Son, too. I did remind him of how many people he knew who were ahead of him in HS did not stay at their original school.</p>
<p>So sorry to hear about the cancer diagnosis. There’s just way too much of it.</p>
<p>Need to start pulling info together to do taxes but I can’t stand the thought of it.</p>
<p>Okay, why did we start talking about tickets? Son got his first ticket ever last night driving back to school (85 in a 70 - yikes!) Good thing his dad got the call - hard for dad to yell when he gets about three speeding tickets a year.</p>
<p>Missy… too funny. That’s pretty much how I feel about auto insurance. Hard for H to complain too loudly when it’s his fault our premiums are what the are!!</p>
<p>OK… what does it say that son has become friends with a member of the campus police on his facebook?</p>
<p>Just to show everyone that I am capable of “tough love”, even though I am a lawyer, Husband is 100% on his own with his speeding tickets. They always seem to be in different jurisdictions, so he can juggle defensive driving, deffered adjudication, not guilty pleas, etc. He certainly knows a lot more about traffic tickets than I do!</p>
<p>Friday morning, DH met with insurance agent and found out that we can switch to AARP-Hartford and save about $1000/yr. due to our driving records and age. Ahem.</p>
<p>Friday night, DH gets pulled over for going 70+ in 65 mph area of interstate. Somehow he managed to get just a warning, not a ticket. I think the insurance deal is still ok.</p>
<p>Still in a little bit of a funk this morning. Rentry from vacation, sending D2 back to school, realizing the severity of friends’ diagnoses, knowing I need to get in shape and set up my yearly exams that are overdue and making sure D1 is set for graduation is keeping me off kilter. My house is a mess and laundry is everywhere! Think I will escape to the mall…not to shop but talk with the tailor at Nordstroms who left a message that they messed up the alterations on a pair of very expensive jeans for D1. Oh well…My family is healthy, school is working out for D2, D1 is figuring things out on her own and you all have been kind to listen to my rant! Thanks! :)</p>
<p>Me, too! I’m thinking of the strong merit aid offers that Son had and am mourning the loss of all that money. I could close my door and cry, but there’s too much work on my desk to break down right now.</p>
<p>There was a story on the radio this morning about the low college graduation rates for Hispanics in Texas. They said that only 40% who enter college earn a degree within 6 years. That wasn’t particularly alarming, given that we’re a border state, but what stood out to me that only 45% of Texas caucasian students earn a degree in 6 years. I called H and said that we are really really not alone.</p>
<p>OK… I realize I am plugging this book a lot, but Mindsets should be required reading. I found it hugely interesting in a common sense kind of way, but more important, when you really look at it, you realize that common sense can work both ways for either a fixed or growth mindset. Really interesting stuff and some good applications. I honestly wish I had finished it before son had even tried out for lacrosse team, I know I would have responded differently to some of his concerns and unspoken fears. You can either operate in a judge and be judged mindset or one where you learn and see the value in the path: the hard work, resiliency and commitment understanding that their will be obstacles and in fact, if their aren’t obstacles are you really challenging yourself to be all that you can be? Anyway… I found it to be a great read and highly recommend it. Bottom line is: Life takes effort and an open mind.</p>
<p>In the last two days, Ive noted that my space bar is starting to not work. It has become verytouchy aboutwhether or not it willskip a spacebetween words. This isbecominghugely frustratingbecauseto alwayshave toback space toadd a space makes one lose theirconcentration. As youcansee I did not go back tocorrect it inthis paragraphjustso youcan see the ridiculousness oftheproblem. Ihave removedsaid bar and triedtoclean it to no avail. Frustratingistheoperative word. Ithink it occurrs more often oncertainpartsofthebar itself. Ridiculous. I canbarelywrite afacebook update!</p>
<p>Modadunn, I enjoyed Mindset and S1 just finished reading it. I enjoyed Outliers very much as well, which was the other book I gave to S1 to read last month. Both books stress the link between hard work and success. I wish S2 were a reader. I love sharing good books with S1.</p>
<p>Moda, time for a new keyboard (you can get these for laptops as well though the installer needs to be competent to put them in) if there isn’t some junk stuck near the space bar. You can undoubtedly by the appropriate laptop keyboard online.</p>
<p>I have read some of Carol Dweck’s earlier articles and think the Mindset book is quite provocative. I’m going to download it from audible and put in on my ipod to listen on a trip. ShawSon may be the living embodiment of this. In thinking about joining the debate team, he could have said, “I speak slowly and with a delay. I’ll never succeed. So why try?” But he comes at it thinking that if he works at it and uses all the resources available to him (which are considerable), he can succeed. In fact, he received strong speaking marks in his last debate tournament (his best ever). He’s getting close to the threshold of “breaking through” to the final part of the tournament. </p>
<p>Drove him back to school this AM. He was tired – had to revise 2 papers and write one over the break – and wished he had another week of vacation. We talked about strategy for the rest of the semester – push hard now on the independent study course so it doesn’t need lots of work during papers/finals push for the other courses. He wants to take a no-reading course next semester – math, statistics, computer science and art. He wanted to know if that was OK with me as for him, this would be an easy semester. I said, go ahead.</p>
<p>Now, on to ShawD. She didn’t get the super-competitive, high prestige science internship she applied for – ShawWife is mad because we are close friends with the director of the institute that hosts the internship (and his wife) and have been very helpful to their kids. She thinks he should have helped (and she asked him to), but that may or may not have been institutionally feasible. There is a short science program at one of the Canadian schools she/we have on her list, so that might be a really good idea. The great thing was that ShawD forwarded the email to me and is enthusiastic about it.</p>
<p>Can I say I LOVE the genius bar at Apple? All fixed. I took my laptop in and viola! He fixes it! And!! He replaced my completely worn out A,S and E keys! What a nice nice kid. </p>
<p>Shawbridge… I thought of your son often when I was reading this book. And also, more recently, when I was watching Cornell’s basketball team take it to Temple and Wisconsin to get to the sweet 16. There has been a lot written about their three big players and how one couldn’t get anything but a walk on at a big 10 school even though his Dad was a coach for the NBA, another couldn’t get a look from his state program and another who not even a DIII coach would give him an opportunity. You read these young men’s stories and you see it’s not all about raw talent but also about a work ethic, resiliency, dedication and a willingness to take criticism that can get you just about anywhere. Two of the three have been Ivy League Player of the year and two are going to be up for a pick in the NBA if they keep playing as they are. And oh… they all have academic chops to boot! Really really excited for that team and I hope for a great game against Kentucky, who they say is young but full of talent. But no matter, they’ve proven quite a bit of naysayers wrong for their entire collegiate careers and I have a very good feeling about just what character can do for a team.</p>
<p>It’s so nice to have a working space bar. Did I already say that?</p>
<p>And Oh…NMN… I had the same issue at Nordstroms just a few weeks ago. Had a pair of pants hemmed and when I got home with them it’s as if they didn’t hem them at all! And although I asked just how much these one jeans would “grow” throughout the day, let’s just say the salesperson didn’t have a clue. I should have bought them where it made it difficult to breath because now after about an hour, they’re sliding off! Ugh. I hate buying jeans but that’s all I like to wear.</p>
<p>Computer issues…D1 had a virus, took it to school IT, they fixed it and then a week later whole computer crashed and she can’t find recovery disks! Can I just use the ones from D2’s computer???</p>
<p>Modadunn…will pick up the book next time I’m out!</p>
<p>D2 got a summer job. I have mixed feelings about it. She was asked to work for BF’s family business. She will do some marketing (making flyers,mailings) and bookkeeping. Good for her resume but once again she doesn’t have to get out of her comfort zone. Told her she couldn’t take her car to school next year unless she had a job and voila! She has one! Hmmm…</p>
<p>D16 and H leave for spring skiing tomorrow. Will get to see S and older D and BF. I get to oversee the refinishing of my floors (MAYBE - as there’s been a snafu) and get to buy a used car with my brother for D16 to use and then share with her brother over the summer (should be MORE than interesting). My brother loves cars and so basically I just tell him what I want to spend and he finds the absolute best buy for the best car. Seriously, he is a freak at this stuff. He loves research and does nothing half-butted. He moved to the state about three years ago, but in less than 6 months he knew more about every statistic and all the specifics regarding just about every neighborhood in town. He could school a realtor no problem. Freakish I am telling you. It will help that his wife is out of town on business, so he’ll be looking for dinner as well. :)</p>
<p>It says perhaps ModaSon is completely guileless, a real schemer, or both B/c he would NOT have friended them if he were up to no good…unless he were truly hatching an evil plan that would involve stealing their identities! Hi ho.</p>
<p>He barely has his own identity, let alone be up for the challenge of stealing someone else’s! He is certainly not guiltless, nor would I tag him a schemer. However, he does seem to have a knack for getting himself out of trouble when he needs to, so I say it’s probably not a bad idea to have a guy like this on your side when the chips are down. And if you’re willing to do the right thing MOST of the time and if people know you well enough to know you’re a good egg, some mistakes made might be overlooked. Probably a genius move on Son’s part now that I think about it.</p>
B/c he would NOT have friended them if he were up to no good…unless he were truly hatching an evil plan that would involve stealing their identities! Hi ho.</p>